2: Exposed

Everything stopped.

His smile slowly disappeared. 

He stared at me in disbelief, searching for a lie, for a hint that would tell otherwise but to no avail.

“I…” 

A sob escaped my throat, lowering my head and placing it on his shoulder. Finally letting out the weight I was carrying all this time.

“I'm his mate.”

Robbie's grip loosened.

“No…. no, no, no, no…”

I cried, gripping his shirt, “He isn't searching for just anyone.”

The tears wouldn't stop. I could barely breathe, let alone hold myself together. 

“He's searching for me.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Painful.

Robbie slowly swallowed hard, “Since when… do you know?” 

“For months.” I sniffled, pulling back slightly. “At the annual Alpha gathering… his pack passed by…”

His eyes widened. 

“For six months? You never told anyone?”

“How could I?” I looked up at him with tears glistening in my eyes.

“My mate is the most feared Alpha alive.” My voice broke, unable to carry the crushing weight of this secret anymore.

“I didn't want to believe fate could be so cruel.” 

Powerless and heartbroken, I decided to fall apart in his arms. I buried my face against his chest and cried my anguish out.

“Help me, Robbie!”

“Evelise…?”

“I don't want to go with him. Help me! Please, help me!”

He wrapped both arms around me hesitantly. 

“O-Okay…” 

Robbie held me compassionately, running his finger through my locks, trying to subdue the fear but to no avail.

I pulled away just enough to look into his eyes.

“Promise me.”

His expression softened.

“No matter what happens…” I grabbed the front of his tunic, “...don't let him take me.”

Slowly, he placed his hand over mine, kissing my knuckles. “I… promise.”

Two simple words. 

Yet they carried the weight of his life.

I nodded weakly.

Trying to believe them.

Trying to believe anyone could stop the monster marching across Moon Whispers.

But the main question was—can he?

Later, alone in my bedchamber, I couldn't stop thinking about the day I first saw him. Six months ago—at the annual Alpha gathering.

That hauntingly beautiful moment.

And those eyes. 

Oh, Moon Goddess, those dangerous golden eyes.

I could never forget the sight when he marked a woman. 

When he found out she wasn’t his mate his next words were: “Bury Her.” 

That was it.

He decided a woman's fate in a heartbeat.

And the worst part?

He caught me watching. And the warning he gave me that day still haunted me.

“Leave before I put you in her place.”

Since then, I have kept myself hidden. 

But I had felt the soul-crushing pull the exact instant our paths crossed. 

The pull. The longing. The undeniable certainty that he was mine.

I felt everything.

He felt nothing.

…. Nothing at all. 

Not even a flicker of recognition.

And that was the cruelty of my fate—being bound to a man who couldn't feel me at all.

Before this sorrow could eat me, distant sobs echoed through the village streets.

“Will this monstrosity ever end!?” 

I hurried to the window.

A body lay in the square. A local merchant.

Another victim.

They weren't just threatening us anymore. People were dying, and no one knew who would be next. 

Soon, the door clicked open, and Robbie stepped outside. 

“Robbie…”

He didn't look like the confident Beta anymore. 

His shoulders were slumped, his blue eyes empty. Exhaustion and defeat were written all over his face.

What happened to him?

I walked up to him immediately, leading him away from the ruckus. 

“Robbie.”

 “Look at what is happening, Evelise.”

He looked up at me, an unsaid frustration in his eyes. “People are dying right before our eyes.” 

“I know.” 

He rubbed his face with his hands. 

“The whole pack is terrified. We have to do something.”

“We will…” I tried to step closer to reassure him. “We'll figure this out, Robbie. Please.”

“How?” He let out a harsh, breathless laugh. 

“How do we figure this out against Alpha Zarius? How many more people are going to die while we sit here?”

“I don't know…” My voice cracked, tears filling my eyes. “I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Robbie.”

“Don't,” he whispered, stepping back toward the door and refusing to meet my eyes. “Just... go to sleep, Eve.”

“Robbie, wait—”

“Just go to sleep. I’ll fix this.”

For a moment, I thought he might say something else. Something that would reassure me.

Instead, he walked away.

Robbie joined the frightened crowd in order to settle them.

I stood alone, suffocating under the weight of my own guilt. 

With heavy steps, I went back to my home. 

I pulled myself into bed, staring at the dark ceiling as the distant cries of my grieving pack echoed through the night.

I knew I couldn’t save myself, or them.

So I prayed.

What did I pray for?

I had no idea myself.

At dawn, my eyes fluttered open. 

The bond slammed into my chest so violently that I gasped for air. My instincts were high and sensitive after six months of silence.

No…

No, no, no.

My heart leaped into my throat, immobilising my whole being.

"The borders are breached!”

“They're here! Run!”

“Wake everyone!”

I stumbled out of bed. 

They couldn’t be here in just one day. 

Outside, chaos had swallowed the village, our members rushed toward the entrance.

Children cried, women gathered their families and locked the houses.

Then… I saw him.

He stood beyond the broken gates, his posture stone-cold. He towered over every wolf surrounding him, his head tilted with effortless arrogance.

He wore black regal clothing, his hands resting in his pockets. Dark, wavy hair stirred by the morning wind.

Piercing golden eyes. Beautiful yet terrifying. His gaze swept across the crowd. 

Searching.

Searching... 

Until it stopped on me.

My very soul froze. Knees buckled as I forgot how to breathe. Everything disappeared at that moment.

The screams. The wolves. The world itself.

Only those eyes remained. 

His lips slowly curved into a wicked smile, taking a step forward.

“There you are.”

Every prayer I had whispered, every hope I had clung to, every promise Robbie had made.

They all shattered.

“I've been looking for you.”